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Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades: Adobe, Alibaba, Amazon, AT&T, Comcast, Delphi, DocuSign, J&J, JPMorgan, T-Mobile, Verizon, Wells Fargo and More

Jon C. Ogg

Published: October 16, 2019 8:45 am

Last Updated: January 30, 2020 2:33 pm

Stocks were indicated to open marginally lower on Wednesday, even after overseas markets were modestly higher. Investors are having to grapple with a slower economy at the same time that the bull market is well over 10 years old. Now is a time to be considering what changes they should be making for their portfolios and assets heading into late 2019 and as 2020 approaches.

24/7 Wall St. reviews dozens of analyst research reports each day of the week to find new ideas for traders and long-term investors alike. Some of the daily analyst calls cover stocks to buy, while some calls cover stocks to sell or to avoid.

We have provided these calls in a quick-hit summary for easy reading, and additional comments and trading data have been added on some of the calls. The consensus analyst price targets and other valuation metrics are from the Refinitiv sell-side research service.

These are the top analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations for Wednesday, October 16, 2019.

Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ: ADBE) was downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Citigroup. Adobe previously closed up 0.6% at $279.39, in a 52-week range of $204.95 to $313.11 and with a prior consensus target price of $313.52.

AeroVironment Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) was raised to Overweight from Neutral with a $76 target price (versus a $57.06 prior close) at Piper Jaffray.

Air Products & Chemicals Inc. (NYSE: APD) was started as Market Perform with a $240 target price (versus a $215.22 close) at Wells Fargo.

Albermarle Corp. (NYSE: ALB) was started with a Market Perform rating and assigned a $75 target price (versus a $67.87 close) at Wells Fargo. The consensus target price was $84.99, and the 52-week range is $58.63 to $108.74, but this was a $140 stock back in 2017.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE: BABA) was maintained as Overweight but the target price was trimmed to $243 from $245 at KeyBanc Capital Markets. Alibaba closed up 2.4% at $175.29 on Tuesday, and its consensus target price was $221.89.

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) was reiterated as Outperform and the target price was raised to $2,400 from $2,225 at Credit Suisse, with the firm noting that the deceleration trends from currency and higher expenses will increase the mix of larger enterprise clients, and the firm expect AWS to continue to make the trade-off for longer-term gains.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) was started with a Market Perform rating and assigned a $36 target price (versus a $37.90 close) at Bernstein.

Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (NYSE: AXTA) was started with a Market Perform rating and assigned a $31 target price at Wells Fargo.

Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) was started with a Market Perform rating and assigned a $50 target price (versus a $45.67 close) at Bernstein.

Delphi Technologies PLC (NYSE: DLPH) was started as Neutral at Guggenheim.

DocuSign Inc. (NASDAQ: DOCU) was reiterated as Outperform and the target price was raised to $80 from $65 at Wedbush Securities. Shares closed at $66.99 in a 52-week range of $35.06 to $68.11. The consensus target price was $70.18 before the call.

Eaton Corp. PLC (NYSE: ETN) was raised to Outperform from Perform with a $95 target price (versus an $82.12 close) at Oppenheimer.

FMC Corp. (NYSE: FMC) was started with an Outperform rating and a $100 target price (versus an $83.04 close) at Wells Fargo. Robert W. Baird raised it to Outperform from Neutral with a $95 target price.

Gentex Corp. (NASDAQ: GNTX) was started with a Buy rating and a $29 target price (versus a $26.97 close) at Guggenheim. Its consensus target price is $21.92, and its 52-week range is $17.80 to $28.43.

Guess’ Inc. (NYSE: GES) was named as the Bull of the Day at Zacks, which said that a positive revision for the year is helping to boost the stock. Shares most recently closed at $17.10, with a consensus price target of $21.40.

Huntsman Corp. (NYSE: HUN) was started with an Outperform rating and a $28 target price (versus a $23.00 close) at Wells Fargo.

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International Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE: IFF) was started with a Market Perform rating and a $125 target price (versus a $119.18 close) at Wells Fargo.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) was raised to Neutral from Underweight at Atlantic Equities, and Argus reiterated its Buy rating and $165 target price after earnings. Shares closed up 1.6% at $132.84 on Tuesday, with a $149.13 prior consensus target price.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) was reiterated as Neutral but the target price was lifted to $110 from $105 (versus a $119.96 close, after a 3% post-earnings gain) at Robert W. Baird.

Lear Corp. (NYSE: LEA) was started with a Neutral rating at Guggenheim.

LyondellBasell Industries N.V. (NYSE: LYB) was started with an Outperform rating and assigned a $105 target price (versus an $87.20 close) at Wells Fargo.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: OLLI) was named as the Zacks Bear of the Day stock. The firm said that shares have taken a big hit after disappointing same-store sales and lowered guidance. Shares last closed at $59.83, with a consensus price target of $72.53.

Quantum Corp. (NASDAQ: QNTM) was started with a Buy rating and a $7.25 target price (versus a $5.74 close) at B. Riley.

RPM International Inc. (NYSE: RPM) was started with an Outperform rating and an $80 target price (versus a $68.36 close) at Wells Fargo.

T-Mobile US Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) was started with an Outperform rating and a $103 target price (versus a $79.74 close) at Bernstein.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) was started with a Market Perform rating and a $63 target price (versus a $60.55 close) at Bernstein.

Wabtec Corp. (NYSE: WAB) was started with an Underperform rating and a $64 target price (versus a $67.78 close) at Merrill Lynch.

Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) was reiterated as Buy with a $60 target price (versus a $50.11 close, after a 1.7% post-earnings gain) at Argus. Wells Fargo’s consensus target price was $49.68.

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Jefferies analysts are very positive on four internet leaders in front of the upcoming third-quarter results, which they feel could exceed expectations.

Tuesday’s top analyst upgrades and downgrades included AECOM, Arconic, Bed Bath & Beyond, Dollar General, eBay, Grubhub, Lowe’s, Nvidia, Stitch Fix, 3M and many more.